Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Well I know this post is pretty late but i thought i would put up some pictures, a video and a little story from the few weekends I spent there this past October. Dipper Creek was 1st Descented by The Range Life guys back in 2008. They walked up and down the creek and scouted it all out to make sure it would be good. Thanks to them this creek has now become one of my favorite. Dipper is located past the Elaho drainage up the Squamish river in British Columbia. In 2009 I went to dipper and had the time of my life, and 2010 was just as good and a little more scary with higher water. Dipper Creek is the true creeking experience. It flows from a glacier high in the Tantalus Range and weaves its way into the most committing and beautiful gorges ive ever been in. The gorge walls on your sides are shear 400 foot cliffs. The creek starts off with a bang with a stout double drop "Double Dip" then continues quickly into "Big Dipper" a stout 70 ft tall slide that ends in a huge hit as you slide into pretty much green-water. Then it goes something like this... 20 ft slide... perfect 30 ftr, Long stout slide "Roudy Flatwater"... and it just keeps going. The majority of the time in the creek there is no way out unless your friends are on the rim and vertically extract you. It includes a very involved portage which although not a very long portage, takes about an hour to complete because of all the roping, rapeling and sketchy climbing involved. It then goes into another gorge where you still cannot escape. And in the midst of all this there has somehow been a way through the creek the past 3 years. Luckily. The next gorge is one of the coolest places in the world indeed... vertigo gorge. You drop into an incredible teacup with huge mossy gorge walls, but only after you drop a pretty stout 25ftr with a hard to boof sliding entrance that lands in a small pocket. Basically this creek is the true creeking experience because the rapids are scary, you are comitted, there are portages, and its incredibly beautiful. Its a great time!

Brian Burger, Niko Peha, and Ethan Smith chillin at the campsite at the take-out of dipper.

Still from a timelapse I shot... Cool glow from the campfire!

The massive tree at out campsite.... the loggers left this one standing.

You know its cold when.... Morning at dipper in october.

Brian pretty stoked to paddle!

Me, Jonas and Ben stoked to have finished the Upper and Middle Gorges with no real troubles.

Waking up at 7am in a rain-soaked tent after a classic BC night... Just hoping that the vertigo gorge is not too high after some rain.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Well recently i've really been slacking on blog updates. I am back in the cold, rainy northwest corner of washington state waiting for some snow to melt so i can get out on the rivers. Reflecting on my time in chile, it was easily some of the best months of my life. I worked hard on the filming side of things this trip so most of my pictures in this blog will be from friends. Pucon is really the epicenter for great creeking in chile. It's an amazingly cool little mountain town with an incredible amount of beautiful an fun rivers right close by. The rivers around Pucon offer a couple different styles of creeking.... big waterfalls on the palguin... granite slides on the nevado.... ridiculously fun boulder garden rapids on the rio puesco... technical low volume drops on the carhuello.... stacked basalt waterfalls and slides on the turbio... the list goes on. I spent quite a bit of time in pucon this year and we had some really good times, and sometimes we even had good lines.Volcan Villarica on Christmas day in HDR. Shot from Ian's place in Pucon.... A beautiful sunset with a great backdrop.

Another HDR shot from the same location!

The Turbio is a small creek outside Pucon that only runs with heavy rainfall. It is a very unique creek that carves its way through a basalt canyon with lush vegetation. This place is the closest place to Jurassic Park that I have ever seen. It rained hard and we woke to a perfect level for the Upper Turbio Stout.

Looking at the "stout" at the top of the Rio Turbio..

Stoked to have run such a cool complicated rapid. Good times. Photo:LJ

Evan about to bomb off the 25ftr then directly into the slide! Photo:LJ

Stoutmaster Erik Johnson on the Turbio stout.Photo: EG

Like i said... hes a stout master.. Erik layin treats. Photo:LJ

This rapid is very unique with a 25ft waterfall then straight into a technical slide with a big hole at the end. It's a good one.

Volcan Villarica at night... Long exposure. Photo:Fred

Middle Palguin is the Local "stout" Its the best, cleanest, softest, safest and one of the most fun 70 fters out there. It doesnt get much better than this for tall waterfalls. This waterfall is easily one of my favorites because it always seems to be good. At high water, it sends you to the depths into a frothing choas... but usually lets you go with no scratches. At low water as long as you have a decent line, it is just so soft and smooth. Middle Palguin has a place in my heart for sure.

Myself on my first run of the season... get that bow down. Photo by Tom.

Just a little preview of what went down on the filming side of things. Getting those dolly shots dialed at the MP lip.

The Palguin Race added some fun to the summer!

The Upper Palguin race... Erik in the top hole about to steeze out a loop, myself upside down boofing the second drop, with Seth directly under me. Luckily no one got severely injured.

Evan and Jared enjoying some delicious Crystal beer on Christmas day.

A bunch of dirty gringo kayakers having a nice Asado for Christmas dinner.

The crew all dressed up in drag ready for a fun time on New Years.

The Puesco is one of my favorite rivers in the world. It flows from the argentina border towards the small town of Currarehue (about 20 min outside of pucon). It has continuous steep gradient all the way from the base of Volcan La Nin to the bottom of the valley in Currarehue. This gradient is not occupied by waterfalls, but rather a couple hundred really fun boulder garden rapids. This is truly an amazing place and I cannot explain how fun the puesco is!!!

Another beautiful sunny day on the Rio Puesco. I love this place it is incredible. One of my top 2 rivers in the world.

One of the 3 million great boofs on the Puesco in the middle of the Tres Truncos rapid. I love this river!

Skiing on Volcan Villarica in December... what an incredible view! I was able to ski the volcano twice when i was there.

Don't fall in... The crater on the top of the volcano.

The view from the top... the town of pucon, lago villarica and lago caburga with more volcanoes in the background.

The Rio Nevado is probably one of the most fun rivers out there. It starts with an incredilby fun granite slide, then continues with fun waterfalls and unique granite boofs and slides. It runs through a beautiful canyon and is really the mini-cali of chile.

Cheers to another great day on the Nevado... at the takeout of course.

Brownin on the slide! Photo :EG

A little stern mounted GoPro Action here... The slide again.

"crack drop" Photo:EG

GoPro shot of "Wall Falls"

Coming over the Lip of "Demshitz Drop.. the tallest and most stout rapid on the nevado.

Stern Mounted GoPro.... Dropping Into Demshitz drop!!

Evan laying some incredibly g-d out treats on Nutrients... one of the best boofs around.